Delirium

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Recently, I finished the novel Delirium by Lauren Oliver and I can honestly say that it is the best book I have read in a long time. 

Delirium is a dystopian novel, based in current day- alternate time United States. The U.S. is completely cut off from other countries of the world because of a disease called amor deliria nervosa, which is despite its fancy term, just the disease of love. In this society when you are about 18 years old you have a procedure done that makes you unable to love. You are then matched with another person in the society who has similar interests to yours and you are told how many children you will have. Life is supposedly perfect....

This novel follows Lena who cannot wait to have her procedure. She has lost both of her parents and was told that once she has her procedure all her old memories would simply fade away. She would still remember them of course, but would no longer be hurt by the idea of missing them, especially her mother. 

As the novel progresses, Lena spends time with her friend Hanna and eventually meets a boy named Alex, who is an Invalid (someone not part of the society but is actually from the Wilds). She starts to fall in love with him and cannot imagine getting her procedure done and losing that feeling.

SPOILERS AHEAD.....

Lena begins sneaking around with Alex and eventually is caught. Alex manages to escape, but Lena is locked in her room and her procedure is moved up. Her family takes turns guarding her door and there are people also watching the house. Lena manages to escape the night before her procedure on the back of Alex's motorcycle. They make it to the border and Lena manages to get over the fence just in time to turn around see Alex getting arrested. 

The end of this novel was the biggest cliff hanger in the entire reading world. I was so happy that I didn't read this novel when it first came out. I was able to move right into the next novel, which didn't take me more than five minutes to buy on my Kindle. =)

I had never read anything else by Lauren Oliver before this novel but this story was so great that I would be willing to give anything else by her a try as well! She weaves a story in a way that makes you feel like you are actually in the world she has created. I felt like I was right there with Lena, falling in love with Alex while she did and worrying about the procedure. I couldn't stand the idea of Lena without Alex and then I wasn't sure what to feel when she was finally free in the Wilds and Alex was getting arrested. At least Lena is safe, but I wasn't sure how she would be able to handle it without Alex.

Over the next two weeks I will be reviewing the next books in this trilogy, each Wednesday. So stay tuned for those book reviews, and if you haven't already go buy this book!